Line a biscuit or a cake tin with lightly oiled baking parchment honestly you won't need the paper unless you want to lift the thing out whole - the mixture won't stick well to a lightly oiled ceramic or non-stick dish. You can fill the tin first with Krispies to gauge the recipe quantities you'll need.
Gently melt the butter in a large pan, add the marshmallows and stir until they all melt together. Make sure the marshmallows are completely melted and blended in, but don't overcook them.
Stir in a pinch of salt and the vanilla essence, then the Rice Krispies. Mix thoroughly so all the Krispies are coated.

Scoop out the sticky mixture and lightly press into the cake tin using a lightly oiled spatula or gloves then gently smooth off the top (if you over-compress it the Krispie will set too hard).
Allow to cool for at least an hour then cut into squares.
Keep them in a sealed container if storing them for more than a few hours.

Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C/Gas Mark 6.
Cut the squash in half length-wise and scoop out the seeds. Lightly oil or butter the cut face, place cut-side down on an oven tray and roast in the oven until squishy - about 40 minutes. Then turn the oven up to hot - 450°F/230°C/Gas Mark 8.

Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the corn until it is tender - about 10 minutes. Drain, then slice the kernels away from the core, break them apart and set them aside. When the squash is soft, scoop the flesh out from the skin, mash together with the paprika, cream cheese and salt to taste. Mix in the corn then ladle into a small oven-proof dish. Cover with a double layer of mini marshmallows, then return to the hotter oven for 10-15 minutes until the marshmallows melt together and develop a golden crust.

Heat a splash of olive oil in a frying pan and fry the minced onion until it begins to nicely caramelize. Add the minced garlic and the thyme leaves finely chopped rosemary is also an option, stir and cook a little longer. Scoop out and set aside.

Heat more oil and fry the mince, added in batches, until browned, pressing down with the back of a wooden spoon to separate the grains. Add the diced carrot and celery if using, and fry until softened. Add the tomato ketchup or purée, stir in and fry a little you can bubble off some red or white wine now too, if you like, then add the Worcestershire sauce, return the onion to the pan and cover the mixture with stock. I have been known to use an Oxo cube. When cooking for Philistines...
Simmer gently for 30 minutes then allow the mix to thicken and dry off.
Season with salt and pepper and ladle into an oven-proof dish. Meanwhile peel the potatoes, cut into reasonably big chunks and boil until on the point of falling apart. Drain, allow to stream dry and cool for few minutes then mash with a very generous lump of butter and two egg yolks until silky smooth. Season with salt. You could add cheese (say, parmesan) to the mash, but it's not really traditional - that's more of a cottage pie trick. Other root vegetables are also available. Cover the mince in the dish with the mash, smooth over and then make grooves or furrows using a large fork or similar this, together with the egg yolks, will help to give a nice golden crust - if you want to be extra posh you can pipe in the mash instead.

Bake at 200°C/Gas Mark 6 (or slightly lower) for 30 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.

Heat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6.
Cut the top from each bell pepper and remove the core, seeds and any white ribs from inside. Find a casserole dish into which they fit nicely, drizzle with a little olive oil, and roast for 20-30 minutes until softened, but not quite collapsed. (They won't soften much more whilst cooking filled unless you cover the dish with foil for about 30 minutes.)
Season their insides.

Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan until they begin to colour. Set aside.
Lubricate the frying pan with olive oil and add the finely chopped onion. Fry until beginning to caramelise.
Add the chopped chorizo, minced garlic and dried herbs and fry until the chorizo sweats out its oil.
Add the tomato purée and fry.
Add the cooked rice and continue frying.
Add the diced tomato and continue frying.
Stir in enough stock to moisten the rice and remove from the heat.
Season, mix in the sliced leaves and fill the peppers. I used leftover mashed potatoes to support the peppers (in my too-large casserole), which turned out to be very tasty in itself.
Grate over the cheese and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes until the cheese bubbles and colours.

Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/Gas 7.
Place a large sheet of tin foil (large enough to wrap the fish loosely) in a large baking tray. Drizzle a good glug of olive oil over the foil.
Place the sliced fennel, garlic, onion and halved potatoes in a bowl, season well, spread out on the foil, then toss them in the oil. Take half of the herbs and chop them roughly. Grate the zest of the lemon and chop this through the herb mixture.
Make some slashes though the skin of the salmon and stuff the slashes with the herb mixture. Slice the zested lemon you really should cut away excess pith first and stuff the cavity of the fish with the lemon slices and the rest of the herbs.
Set the fish on the vegetables in the tray, season, then pour in the wine or fish stock. Bring up and seal the edges of the foil to make a loose tent around the salmon. If you're covering with a second piece don't forget to oil it so it doesn't stick to the salmon's skin.
Roast for 15 minutes then turn the heat down to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas 6 and continue with the roasting for another 30 minutes.

To check if the salmon is done, use a skewer to pierce the thickest part of the fish, by the head. Place the skewer to touch your lips - if it is warm which it certainly should be, the salmon is cooked. Return to the oven if not, and cook for a further 10 or 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Mince a couple of anchovies with their flavoured olive oil and sweat a little before adding the minced onion and carrot.
Continue cooking until the vegetables soften and begin to caramelize, then add the chopped bacon and fry, then the diced chorizo and garlic and fry. Stir through the tomato purée with the capers, then add the fresh tomatoes and fry until they begin to break down.
Finally mix in the tinned tomatoes and enough stock to cover. Add the diced apple and any broccoli stalks you desperately need to be rid of, finely chopped.
Simmer for about 30 minutes until everything is tender and the sauce has reduced, then add the frozen peas. Reheat, simmer for 5 or 10 minutes and serve over pasta with grated cheese.

Heat a generous puddle of olive oil in a large deep frying pan, add the bay leaves and a generous grinding of black peppercorns then fry the mince, in batches if necessary, until browned.
Remove the bay leaves and set the meat aside.

Generously re-oil the pan and add the finely chopped onion and the chopped carrots and celery (cut as small as you prefer). Cook gently until soft - about 30 minutes.

Add the minced garlic and the tomato ketchup (or purée), raise the heat a little and fry for a few minutes. You can add a couple of tablespoons of flour at this point if you don't have a rich enough stock to thicken the sauce. Return the meat to the pan.

Add the red wine and bubble off a little, then add the stock, some Worcestershire sauce and thyme leaves.

Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered for 30-45 minutes until the sauce reduces and coats the meat stickily. Season and add more Worcestershire sauce if required.

Meanwhile, make the mash:
Peel the potatoes, cut into large chunks and simmer in a large lidded saucepan for about 30 minutes until easily pierced with a knife.

Drain then return to the pan and steam-dry for a few minutes before mashing with a generous amount of butter and the grated cheese. Loosen a little with a splash of milk, a good dollop of mayonnaise or a splash of milk or cream. Season with salt and a grating of nutmeg if you like

Spoon the meat mixture into an ovenproof dish, layer over the mash and roughen with a fork. Sprinkle with a little extra grated cheese if you like.

Bake in a 200°C/Gas Mark 6 oven for 30-40 minutes until the topping is golden and the contents bubbling.
Serve with buttered cabbage, carrots or peas.

Halve the plums, remove the stones and lay in an ovenproof dish. Mix with enough sugar to take away the sourness (perhaps 50g), a teaspoon or so of ground cinnamon and some orange zest if you like. Sprinkle with a little water or orange juice.

To make the crumble, you can either rub the butter into the flour by hand then stir in all the other ingredients, or just pulse everything up in a food processor until it just starts to clump together. Loosely scatter the crumble over the plums, topping with the flaked almonds if using.

Bake at 200°C/Gas Mark 6 for 30-40 minutes until the crumble is golden and bubbling.
Serve with custard, crème fraîche, cream, or ice cream. Or not.

Pat the duck or goose legs dry with paper towels. If you have store-bought duck legs, prick the skin of the duck all over with a needle or the point of a sharp knife. Do not pierce the meat itself. Piercing the skin gives the fat a place to seep out. Salt your duck legs well and set them aside, skin side up. Let them come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 90 minutes.

Put the legs in a small casserole. How small? You want the casserole to be just big enough to hold the legs. Now you need some fat. If the legs themselves are fatty, you will only need to pour a thin sheen of oil or melted duck fat on the bottom of the casserole, then place the duck legs close together, but not overlapping. If the legs are skinny, add enough fat to come about ¼ inch up the sides of the dish.

Put the casserole in the oven and turn it to 150°C/300°F/Gas Mark 2; if you have a digital oven, you could even go down to 140°C/285°F/Gas Mark 1½. Do not preheat the oven. Every duck has a different level of fat, so done-ness is more an art than a science. But it will take at least 90 minutes, and probably two hours, and even 3 or 4 hours won't hurt them. After 90 minutes, check the duck: It should be partly submerged in melted fat and the skin should be getting crispy. When the skin is starting to look crispy, turn the heat to 190°C/375°F/Gas Mark 5. Check after 15 minutes. You're looking for a light golden brown. Remove the casserole from the oven and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes before eating. Save the accumulated fat for cooking vegetables, other meats or for keeping your skin shiny. I strain the fat through a paper towel, but you really only need to do this if you are saving the fat for several weeks or months; strained, it will keep for 6 months tightly covered in the fridge. Well wrapped, the duck meat itself will last up to 2 weeks in the fridge.

Place the sugar and red wine vinegar in a pan on a medium heat and reduce until you have a sticky golden caramel.
Pour in the wine and the stock and a half of the cherries and reduce by ⅔. Crush the cherries against the side of the pot as they boil then press the sauce through a sieve to remove the disintegrated cherry pulp. Return to the pot and continue reducing until you have the consistency you desire, then add in the remaining cherries (for decoration).
Taste and if it requires more sweetness, mix in the jam.

Crush the garlic into the cream in a large pan and season with salt, ground white pepper and a grating of nutmeg if you like. Thinly slice the potatoes on a mandoline preferably and add them to the pan. Separate each slice before adding to make sure they all get well coated.
When the mixture is heated through layer the potato into a baking dish, dot the top generously with butter, lightly cover with foil and bake in a low oven for one or two hours until the potato is tender and the top is golden brown.
The dish is not particularly sensitive to oven temperature, anywhere between Gas Mark ½ (120°C) and the bottom of a Gas Mark 6 (200°C).

Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Place all the ingredients except the wine in a large, resealable freezer bag. Seal the bag shut and shake well to coat everything in the oil. Alternatively, put everything in a large bowl and turn the ingredients until they are fully coated in the oil. Tip into a large roasting tin, spreading the ingredients out into one even layer and ensuring that the sausages aren't covered by any of the vegetables. Season well with salt and pepper. Roast for about 30–35 minutes until golden-brown. Remove from the oven, turn the sausages over and toss the vegetables in the cooking juices. Pour in the wine or stock and return to the oven for a further 20 minutes or until browned and the sausages are cooked and the potatoes tender.

Serve hot with a dollop of mustard on the side or cocottes.

Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C Fan/Gas 7. Butter a shallow 1.75 litre/3 pint ovenproof dish. Cook the penne with the onion in boiling, salted water according to the packet instructions. Drain, refresh in cold water and leave to drain again in the colander.

Put the chicken strips in a freezer bag with the paprika and a little salt and pepper, seal the bag and shake to coat.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan and quickly fry the chicken over a high heat for about 2 minutes until golden-brown and just cooked through (you may need to do this in batches). Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried chicken to a plate and set aside. To make the sauce, melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the flour and whisk together to form a roux. Cook for 1 minute, then gradually add the hot milk, whisking over a high heat until the sauce is smooth and thickened, and allow to boil for 4 minutes. Stir in the mustard and half the cheese and season with salt and pepper.

Add the pasta and onion to the sauce in the pan and stir together. Spoon half this mixture into the dish, arrange the chicken strips over the top and spoon the remaining pasta and sauce on top of the chicken. Scatter over the tomatoes and then top with the remaining cheese. Bake in the oven for about 20 or 30 minutes until piping hot and golden-brown on top.

Trim the stems and dodgy outer leaves from the brussels and halve the large ones. Simmer them along with any pieces of broccoli stalk you need to get rid of until tender but still with bite, about 3 minutes, then drain.
Cut the bacon or chorizo into pieces and fry in a little olive oil and butter until they begin to render, then add the peeled, cored and finely chopped apple. Stir until beginning to brown, then add a generous amount of butter and the sprouts. Shake to coat well - you can let them sizzle until the sprouts begin to colour if you like. Add the chicken stock and Worcestershire sauce and let it bubble off until the pan is almost dry, season, then serve.

Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C/Gas Mark 4.
Mix tomato ketchup into cream - about 50/50.
Pour a little cream into the bottom of a ramekin and add a layer of cheese with a hollow at the centre. Carefully break the egg into the hollow so the yolk is held centrally. Spoon more ketchup cream around the edges, sprinkle more cheese on top and put the ramekins into a baking dish. Pour boiling water into the dish to come ¾ of the way up the side of the ramekins. Bake for about 15 minutes until the white is soft and the yolk still runny, or perhaps 18 minutes for well done. You'll have to figure out for yourself when the egg is done to your satisfaction. Try pressing or jiggling the tops.
Serve immediately as the yolks will continue cooking after you take the cocottes out.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6.
Peel and thinly slice the potato and the onion on a mandoline. Slice or crush the garlic.
Heat the stock in a pot and whisk in the pâté. Press through a sieve if the pâté refuses to break up. Season with salt, pepper (and Worcestershire sauce, if you like).

Grease a baking or gratin dish and spread in a layer of potatoes, then alternately onions and potatoes, dressing each layer with the enriched stock and some garlic and a few herbs like thyme or rosemary if you like as you go. Finish with a layer of potatoes.

Top up with extra stock, leaving the top layer unsubmerged. Dot with butter or olive oil, cover loosely with foil and bake for about an hour until the potatoes are tender. Remove the foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes until the top is crisped and golden (if required).

Cut the chicken into bite-sized chunks and mix with the marinade ingredients, adding enough yoghurt to coat the pieces. Perhaps 100ml. Leave to marinate for a few hours.

Purée the peeled ginger and garlic adding a little water if necessary.
Purée the onion or chop finely.
Chop or blend the tomatoes.
Heat ghee or oil in a large pan and fry the marinated chicken quickly in small batches over high heat, turning, until lightly browned. Set aside. Reserve any leftover marinade.

Heat a generous puddle of ghee or oil and fry the bay leaves and cumin or fennel seeds until they fizz and release their aroma if you're not cooking for fussy eaters you could add any whole spices you fancy here - cloves, cardamoms, peppercorns, cinnamon, etc. I just used fennel seeds, whose flavour went very well I thought.. Add the garlic/ginger purée and fry until it begins to caramelize.
Add the onion and fry until softened and glassy, has lost any harsh aroma and begins to separate from the oil. Add the ground frying spices and stir-fry until they lose their harsh aroma and the oil separates. Add the tomato purée and fry until it loses any harsh aroma and the oil separates. Add ground cashew nuts if using - add a little water if required to blend them and stir through. Add any leftover marinade and stir through. Add the chopped or blended tomatoes and cook until they soften. Add enough water to make a loose sauce and simmer gently for half an hour or up so. It might take an hour to cook off all harshness.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to the boil, add a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda optional - this alkalinity will help to preserve the bright colour of the spinach. Add the spinach, return to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes, then drain and immediately stir into a large bowl of iced water to cool and preserve the colour.
When cooled, squeeze out most of the liquid and purée or chop the (surprisingly small amount of) pulp

Ten or fifteen minutes before serving cut a slit in the sides of the whole chillies and add them to the sauce along with the chicken pieces and heat through. Stir in the spinach and kasuri methi if using and heat through.
Garnish with a squeeze of lemon juice and coriander leaves if you like and serve.

Season the meat with salt and pepper and brown in small batches in a little oil in a large pan or wok. Set aside. Heat the mustard oil in a large heavy bottomed pan or wok that has a lid.
When the oil is hot, add the whole spices (mustard seeds last) and let them sizzle and spit - hence the lid! for about 40 seconds. Now add the chopped onion and fry until beginning to evenly brown.
Add the garlic and ginger paste and fry.
Add the ground spices and fry.
Return the meat to the pan and bring everything back to frying temperature. Stir in the chopped tomatoes. Add about 100ml of water and cover to simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Uncover, raise the heat and now bhuno for another 20 minutes - stirring until the sauce thickens and darkens then adding a little water to moisten and then repeating the process. Don't let it burn!
Finally add a little water, cover and simmer gently until the meat is tender which might take over an hour, if you're using beef!.
Uncover, add the fresh chillies and stir for a minute or two to thicken up again. Stir in the yoghurt, do this quite quickly or the yogurt may curdle.
Season, sprinkle with garam masala or lemon juice and dress with chopped coriander leaves if you like and serve.

Cut the chicken into large bite-sized chunks and marinate in half the yoghurt for at least three hours at (cool) room temperature, but preferably eight to 12 in the fridge. Take it out half an hour before you want to cook.

Heat the cream gently until warm, then take off the heat and stir in the saffron and half the rose water. Leave to infuse. Put the cashews in a small bowl with five tablespoons of warm water and leave to soak. Don't overdo the cashews - they're flavour is quite cloying.

Heat the fat in a wide, heavy-based, lidded pan over a medium-high heat. When hot, add the cinnamon and green cardamom pods. Once the cardamom start to pop, add the chicken and brown on all sides, in batches if necessary, then lift out of the pan and set aside. Add the onion, turn down the heat slightly and fry until soft and browned, stirring regularly so it doesn't catch.

While the onions are cooking, blend the cashews and their soaking water to a smooth paste. Add the ginger and stir, then the garlic and stir, add the nutmeg and sultanas into the pan and cook for a few minutes, then add the cashew paste and stir well. Take off the heat and stir in the remaining yoghurt stir quickly to prevent curdling and the salt. Add the chicken, along with any juices and yoghurt marinade, and bring to a simmer.

Cover tightly, turn down the heat as low as possible and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the cream and cook for another five minutes, then stir in the black cardamom and the remaining rose water if you think it needs it, just before serving.

Blend the coriander stalks or roots, if you have them, fresh chillies, garlic, ginger
with half an onion and a little water if required.
Chop the peanuts I used a food processor to grind them fairly finely.
Chop the pork shoulder into fat slices.

Heat a generous amount of oil in a large casserole and fry the cardamoms, cloves and cassia bark. A couple star anise would be nice too, if you have them. Fry the shoulder slices, turning, until they are browned all over. Decant to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Scoop out the whole spices from the remaining oil and discard them. Cut the fried pork slices into biteable chunks.

Add the chopped onion to the pan with a little extra oil if necessary and fry until glassy and beginning to brown. Add any solid coconut fat from the top of the can if there is any, and the chopped peanuts. Add the garlic ginger paste and fry until the harsh aroma cooks off and the oil separates. Add the ground spices and fry until the oil separates.

Return the pork to the pan along with any juices, the tamarind concentrate, add the (rest of the) can of coconut milk and enough stock to cover. Put on the lid and simmer for half an hour. Peel and cut the potatoes into fat chunks and add to the pan. Simmer for another hour or until the pork is tender. Uncover towards the end so the sauce thickens.
Serve with chopped coriander over jasmine rice.

Heat a mixture of oil and butter and sweat grated ginger until the harsh aroma has cooked off. Add sliced carrots and dessicated coconut and stir to coat. Add a little water, cover tightly and cook gently for 30 minutes until the carrots are very soft.